Is the unknown just a word? A blind spot? Something we cannot see? Sometimes it appears as something threatening, sometimes as a fascination, even as a condition for literature. Is it important to preserve its secret and its allure or is it to be dragged into the glaring spotlight of the belief in progress and research trips? 21 members of the Akademie der Künste approach the concept of the unknown in essayistic, lyrical and fictional texts. This has resulted in introspections, speculations or reflections on exploration, circling and discovery. Thomas Lehr, Teresa Präauer and Kathrin Röggla talk to the editors of the volume Nathalie Mälzer and Cécile Wajsbrot about journeys of discovery into the archives, about the utopian potential of the unknown, about immersing oneself in distant times and spaces or in the darkness of one's own person.

The unknown
Unexpected encounters
Edited by Cécile Wajsbrot and Nathalie Mälzer
Göttingen: Wallstein 2025. 224 pages, 33 illustrations
ISBN 978-3-8353-5948-2 € 28

Reading and discussion with Thomas Lehr, Teresa Präauer, Kathrin Röggla

Welcome: Kerstin Hensel

Moderation: Nathalie Mälzer and Cécile Wajsbrot

Sound collage: Johannes Walter